With FREEDOM CALL having recently released their much anticipated album "Beyond", I got the opportunity of watching the Munich show of the tour, which saw local band RUSTINAL as support.
 

The one thing that must be said for RUSTINAL is that they have a very diverse sound, with their music including all kinds of influences, ranging from Pop to Rock, and from Power Metal to classic Heavy Metal. Taking things down a notch with their song "Rockstar", RUSTINAL very much looked like rock stars with their edgy clothing and long hair floating on the air currents resulting from the inordinate number of fans ventilating the stage. Towards the end of their setlist, RUSTINAL started to lose the crowd somewhat, with people growing visibly more restless and clearly eager for the next band to begin. It was around this point of the night where RUSTINAL were asked to play longer, as the vocalist of VICTORIUS, the band scheduled to play next, was stuck in a traffic jam, with the result that VICTORIUS was unable to play this gig. Trying to get the wavering attention of the crowd back by playing "All the Small Things" by BLINK 182, RUSTINAL encouraged the crowd to sing along, which did meet with some enthusiasm from odd members of the audience, albeit in a slightly lacklustre way. Next, the vocalist jokingly announced that they would play a song they had written last week, before launching into a cover of "TNT" by AC/DC. This was an excellently done cover, with the vocals being almost identical of those of Brian Johnson. This definitely succeeded in getting the crowd's waning attention back, with RUSTINAL getting the crowd more and more captivated with each subsequent song. Highlights of this section of their set included the lead singer taking off his bandana and swinging it into the crowd, and the drum solo played by RUSTINAL's new drummer. Playing a set almost twice the length of their foreseen set, RUSTINAL overall did a good job of getting the crowd warmed up for FREEDOM CALL, with the audience clearly having relished the latter portion of their performance in particular.

Setlist:
1. 24 Fucking hours
2. Bloody Sunday Blues
3. Rockstar
4. On Ice
5. All the Small Things (Blink 182 cover)
6. TNT (AC/DC cover)
7. Shout for Glory
 

Finally after this prolonged RUSTINAL set, it was time for the headliners of the night, FREEDOM CALL. They put on a thunderous performance that had the crowd going absolutely mad: everywhere I looked, all I saw were fans loudly singing along. Indeed, it happened several times that the band had to pause between songs as the entire crowd burst into strains of "Warriors". Halfway through the set, vocalist Chris Bay put down his guitar in order to play keyboards, much to the delight of the fans. Also notable was the technique of the drummer, Ramy, who is a new addition to the band. With impressive mid-air twirls of his drumsticks, he nevertheless never missed a single beat, proving that he is more than good enough to take his place on the throne as the drummer of this beloved band.
 

At the end of the set, the band left the stage amid wild cheers, with the crowd chanting "One more song! Freedom Call! One more song!" Coming back, FREEDOM CALL played the well-received song "Paladin" before launching into the most anticipated song of the night, "Warriors". Not satisfied with the thunderous applause emanating from every person in the packed venue, FREEDOM CALL played the end of this song an extra two times in order to give the audience the chance to really try to bring the roof down, before closing with the epic anthem "Land of Light". Overall, it was a very good night for fans of Power Metal, undoubtedly leaving many a fond memory, with the night ending on an undeniable high.

Setlist:
1. Union of the Strong
2. We are One
3. Age of the Pheonix
4. Hero Nation
5. Tears of Taragon
6. Farewell
7. Beyond
8.  The Quest
9. Warriors of Light
10. Heart of a Warrior
11. Power and Glory
12. Come on Home
13. Tears of Babylon
14. Freedom Call
15. Paladin
16. Warriors
17. Land of Light
 

 

With the recent lineup changes as well as the newly released album, I could not resist taking the opportunity to interview with Chris Bay of FREEDOM CALL just before their latest show in Munich, with the discussion revolving around the album "Beyond", FREEDOM CALL's life philosophy, and recently added members.

You've been doing a lot of touring with the new album. Have there been any highlights?

I think that every show was a highlight. It's hard to select special shows to say it's a highlight. But this year began with a highlight when we played this 70,000 Tons of Metal festival because it was very short-termed that we got confirmed to play this festival. It was a nice mixture between having holidays during the cold winter time, and you can go and enjoy the warm Caribbean. It was a good warm-up for the upcoming tour; it makes you feel like a rockstar going there to Miami and being there in the sun.

How is it having Ilker back on bass in the band?

Our previous bass player Sami became a daddy and so that was not possible any more that he could travel with us for such long periods, so we had to find a solution.  Ilker already played for FREEDOM CALL as a stand-in bass player, so it was very near this decision to ask Ilker to come back to the band. We are very happy that we can welcome him as the lost son in our family, and I think on his side, he is very happy to be back.

And with Ramy having recently joined on drums, the band's chemistry must have changed quite a bit lately. How is that going?

I think the lineup we have now is the best lineup of FREEDOM CALL ever. Not just from a musical side; I'm mostly talking about the atmosphere and the working as a team. I think it's the best team situation in the band now as ever before.

I heard that both immediately helped with the writing of the new album. What was that like?

Our guitar player, Lars, was very into the songwriting when he came into the band. His first album was the "Dimensions" album, and he already had some songs on the album and it's getting more and more. On this new album, he's got two and a half songs. Ilker was also part of the songwriting of one song. And Ramy wrote the lyrics to the title song "Beyond", so all members were involved in the songwriting process. I think that fits you together, makes you stronger, and gives you the feeling of being a team.

How has the reception of "Beyond" been?

Fantastic! All the shows were amazing and the people are very into this album and they are longing for more songs, like "hey, you can play the whole album"! One reason is that for a lot of fans, they are feeling like we went a step back into the past: so in the beginning of FREEDOM CALL, the traditional kind of music we did. As an artist or songwriter, it is very hard to explain what the new album is sounding like, because for me it's a new work, it's a new album. So it's up to the fans or the listeners to decide in which direction the album is going; so if it's in the past or if it's a new path to find. But I think it's a good mixture between the traditional music and the evolution of the team.

Was this return to your older style of music intentional or did it happen naturally?

Haha, I didn't listen to the old albums a thousand times before starting the songwriting for the new one. But it's typical and traditional FREEDOM CALL music. I was in the band from the beginning on, and those are the roots. It's a kind of passion to this music. And so it wouldn't be honest if you're changing your style of music over the years; then it's not really into your heart. This kind of music is kept in my heart, and I'm going for it, and I don't think there will be big changes in the future.

What was the message behind the album "Beyond"?

"Beyond" is the life philosophy of FREEDOM CALL; it's our attitude towards life, our kind of living and acting in tunes and words. It's an invitation for everyone to come along with our very positive and optimistic attitude towards life. It's about enjoying, being happy, and preferring the sun as opposed to the dark. It's a welcome to all the fans: you can follow this way, and you will see you will feel better.

How does that tie into the album artwork?

In the back you see this universe: that is the beyond. And there's this monk who is the keeper of this beyond, and you have to pass him. It could be very difficult to win or to pass him, or it could be very easy. You can get it, but you have to fight for it. Not a battle as in with swords and things: the battle is in your mind.

The most appealing track for me personally was "Dance off the Devil". Why the second "f" in the song's title?

It's more about dancing away the devil rather than it being a dance of the devil. It's part of the concept of this positive way. There is no space for the devil, so it's better to keep him away. The idea was born when I worked in my studio on some grooves. I usually start writing a song with a guitar or a piano or some vocal lines. But this time I was working with some beats and I found out that this one African groove… Well, I loved it! And so I built it up into a song. It's very close to our life philosophy; it's about these dances they have or these rain dances: they are longing for something, and we are longing to dance away the devil.  That was the idea.

What was the writing process for the album as a whole like? Where there any particular inspirations?

This time we were getting a lot of inspiration while touring, because you're meeting a lot of people, you're talking to a lot of people, and that is inspiring you. I can't explain that on special parts or on special songs, but you're so concentrated on your music and your kind of life that that makes you able to think in totally different ways. It could be possible to write a very epic song, and then the next day I write a song like "Dance off the Devil" which is totally different. But in the end, when we are producing the stuff, and all the members of the band are playing their instruments, the result is FREEDOM CALL. That makes it very free in the writing process; we do not have to follow a small, thin line of a concept. We are feeling totally free, because at the end, it's FREEDOM CALL.

And how did the production go? I heard you used two studios?

Yes. We have our own studio, and some parts we recorded at an external studio. So most of the recordings were done in the external studio where there is better technology. Some parts like the choirs and the keyboards and some parts of the guitar work I did at my own studio where I can work very quick and productively.

The fan pack had so many extra things, from the box-set of the album to a 40 page book, and from a poster to an additional CD with 13 previously unreleased songs. Was it the band's idea or the label's idea to include so many extra things?

The main idea was from the label. In present times, you have to bring some motivation to the fans to buy some physical product, because it is so easy to download it or to download it for free. So you have to bring more ideas to make it special for the fans, or make it attractive. I think it's a good idea, because you are getting a good product for your money. It would be ridiculous if you just have a CD and charge €20 for it. Those times are over, so you have to bring more ideas and make it more attractive for the people. In this special edition, there are 2 concerts on there. And the book was the band's idea to explain our life's philosophy and the idea around "Beyond". It's a little more than just producing music and saying "Here's our new music, please love it." It explains a little more about our passion to the music, and not only to making the product.

Do you think illegal downloading is having a big impact on the way music is sold?

I think in general the music industry is suffering of this downloading. If you go back 10 or 20 years and think of all the big or popular bands, they are now selling maybe a quarter of the copies they sold 15 or 20 years ago. I think it's gotten a little better with the illegal downloads because people are a little bit more careful; they don't want to go to jail.

The song "Union of the Strong" was released as a music video.

It's a typical FREEDOM CALL song. It's very melodic with fast grooves and high vocals, and it's a good song to represent FREEDOM CALL's music, especially for people who have never heard about the band. You can easily understand what is going on around the band.

Is this why you chose this particular song for the video?

Yeah. That was a lot of fun. We invited around 50 fans via Facebook to the filming. That was a very colourful day for everyone. I think one of the most important things when you're making a video is that people can really see that you enjoyed it, and that it's not just the faces of the artists. It's the same as with the lyrics or the book or the music: you have to bring a new passion. It's not enough that you just produce a product.

And my final question: what advice would you give young bands who look up to you?

Work hard and don't forget to practice. My experience is that a lot of young bands are taking care too much of the unimportant things: they care too much about how many shirts they sold that night or how they look or what kind of guitar they are playing, and they are forgetting to be well prepared for the shows. First you really have to build up your passion and your attitude and then you can start to think about making money with it. But that should be the last thing in this ranking, because you can never make money with things that do not touch your heart.

That sounds like very good advice! Thanks for taking the time to answer all my questions!

You're welcome, it was my pleasure!